Flick Critique: The top 5 underrated movie soundtracks

While a movie’s visual features are arguably the most essential part of the film, it is undebatable that a well-thought-out soundtrack can make or break a film. A great song can transport audiences to a time period or provide a deeper insight into a character’s emotions.

Here are five movie soundtracks that revolutionized the film industry:

First up is perhaps one of the most recognizable and beloved films in American history, “Forrest Gump.” With a soundtrack based mostly on 1960s music, this film manages to convey characters through emotions stemming from discontent due to American involvement in the Vietnam War and unrequited love.

Additionally, with a soundtrack featuring only American artists, the songs are as patriotic as the protagonist himself. Evidently, “Forrest Gump” features a soundtrack that perfectly complements the plot, giving audiences a deeper glimpse into a tense political climate and allowing viewers to better connect with one of the most interesting characters in movie history.

Next on the list is “Saturday Night Fever” with a soundtrack loaded with The Bee Gees that transports audiences into a world of disco. For protagonist Tony Manero, the disco is a place to escape from his troubles back home. It’s also where he meets the love of his life — Stephanie.

After meeting Stephanie, Tony becomes inspired by her unwavering ambition and realizes he wants a better future for himself, as well. Centered around its soundtrack, “Saturday Night Fever” displays social issues common in the late 1970s, while also serving as a sense of hope that Tony will overcome any obstacle and rid himself of the toxic relationships in his life.

For an iconic 80s soundtrack, there is no need to look any further than “Top Gun.” Even though the film’s opening scene is enough to grant it a spot on the list, the rest of the soundtrack is what complements the film overall.

While other 80s films such as “Flashdance,” “Footloose,” “Dirty Dancing” and “Purple Rain” also had soundtracks still beloved to this day, “Top Gun” introduced audiences to songs that not only made charts, but also contributed to the movie’s heavy plot and characters’ feelings.

Debatably one of the coolest films of all time, the film’s renegade reputation is largely due to its emblematic songs, varying from rock songs to love ballads.

Next on the list the lesser-known 90s film “Singles.” The film showed audiences a glance into the up-and-coming grunge movement in its epicenter, Seattle. Although the film shows the daily lives of a group of young adults in the city, its songs provide a glimpse into the emergence of the revolutionary music scene.

With songs from the then-unknown Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, it is interesting to see how these underground bands later went on to become the icons of this musical style period.

Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” audiences might have been confused listening to modern songs paired with a story about one of France’s most infamous monarchs. With artists ranging from The Strokes to The Cure to Phoenix, the film’s vibrant and young soundtrack shows the duality between Marie Antoinette’s role as a queen and teenager.

The film depicts a more relatable and human side to the extravagant queen. Audiences see her struggling with the pressure she feels at such a young age from the citizens she governs to aristocrats that do not deem her fit to rule. Not only is the soundtrack trendy and extremely catchy, it contributes to the film’s plot and characterization of the controversial sovereign.

The use of songs has become a valuable tool for movie makers in their quest to captivate audiences through another sense. Through different songs, filmmakers are able to further convey a character’s emotion or evoke the sociopolitical situation addressed in the movie.

Evidently, a movie’s soundtrack has the power of becoming as recognizable, if not more, than the movie itself.